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Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

Uvas Canyon County Park (park map) is located on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains outside Morgan Hill in lush Upper Uvas Canyon. The 1,133 acre park contains a spectacular collection of waterfalls, particularly after winter rains. The drive into the park is beautiful with a bucolic setting along Uvas Road and Croy Road. The final part is basically a narrow, bumpy driveway through the small Swedish American community of Svaedal. This private community is a step back in time. Established in 1926, it’s apparent that not much has changed here in decades. The park entrance and parking lot are located just beyond the tiny hamlet.

Uvas Canyon Park includes a large day use parking/picnic area and a campground. All the falls are along Swenson Creek and situated close together with the exception of Triple Falls, which is on a tributary of Alec Creek and a 1.2 mile walk from the main trailhead. The entire course of Swenson Creek from it’s confluence with Uvas Creek all the way up to the Contour Trail is essentially a continuous water slide with cascades and waterfalls. The sound of the gushing water throughout the canyon was loud on this day after heavy rainfall. One surprise was the large thundering drop at the bottom of Swenson Creek. I was not expecting such an impressive falls here as it was not mentioned in any of the park literature and web research. Here are some photos and a video, with the complete album here.